Poor piggies toenail has been ripped off!

[FrizzyGuineas]

Hello Everyone!

Unfortunately my first post on here has to be on the care section!

Today as I was getting Maude (The white and peach piggie in my avatar) out for floor time I noticed a little dried blood on her fur, I checked her over and noticed one of her nails looks like it has been completly ripped off!

She doesn't seem in any pain and is running around as normal, the small amount of blood is dried with no fresh blood apparent.

Should I take her to the vets? Or just clean the wound and keep an eye out for infection? I tried to take a photo of the wound but she looked a little uncomfortable when I attempted to hold her leg.

I'm completely at a lose as to how she sustained this injury!

 

[Wiebke]

HI! Welcome to the forum nevertheless!

No need to take her to the vets now that she has stopped bleeding. Her nail should grow back, although it may be thicker at first.

Ripping out a nail does happen occasionally. You are doing the right thing. You will notice that it won't hinder Maude at all once the first bit of pain has gone.

 

[FrizzyGuineas]

Thanks for putting my mind at ease!

 

[Laura-CCC4]

Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear Maude has lost a nail, as Wiebke said it does happen sometimes. One of my past pigs ripped his nail off too, it took a long time to grow back fully as it really was ripped off, but it did grow back.

It is quite likely that all the vet would do is put the pig on a course of antibiotics to prevent infection - it's all my vet did and there is little else they can do. I agree that you'd be just as well monitoring Maude closely. You can bathe the foot in a saline solution to clean it up initially, but there shouldn't be any need (or any point) in bathing regularly as the skin heals over very fast.

 

[Craig David]

your little piggies look gorgeous on your avatar.